Assignment 1-4 Weekly Written Analysis 1

            In the past decade or so, studies have been occurring all over the world on how too much television as a child can affect their learning in later years, as well as increase the chances of obesity.  People believe that there is a direct link based on research and studies. Within the United States, childhood obesity and the number of students losing interest in school has grown to a new high. Many associations are pouring money into finding out the main reasons behind the new era. It is a growing concern that is causing quite the attention of many researchers, and parents to take a closer look at how television makes an impact on children lives.

            According to a 2009 study in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the benefits of limiting TV exposure included, “lower risk of attention problems, lower risk of overweight and obesity, and improved sleep quality (Schmidt, Rich, Rifas-Shiman, Oken, & Taveras, 2009)”. Along with these finding was the determination that “there is no benefits of TV viewing for children less than two years of age (Schmidt, Rich, Rifas-Shiman, Oken, & Taveras, 2009)”. TV watching leads to a decrease in physical activity and outdoor play. This in turn leads to higher obesity. In addition, a commercial during this time of watching TV impresses upon young children a desire for things that is not necessary, including fast food. Although the study did find, “television viewing in infancy does not seem to be associated with language or visual motor skills at three years of age (Schmidt, Rich, Rifas-Shiman, Oken, & Taveras, 2009)”, when adjustments for “maternal age, income, and education” were taken into account, it still found no benefits even in adjusted results. The study did not take into account high levels of television viewing in children under two, which could affect the negative effects even in high income and educational households. High levels of television watching seem to be due to parental idleness.

            In conclusion, TV viewing shows no benefits yet also shows no harmful effects with less than 2 hours of television watching a day. That being the case, it is still better for a child to have limited television watching and increased parental involvement in a child’s daily activities. More studies are needed to further examine both the positive and negative effects of television watching on infants and small children. Although it makes sense that the less television watching allows for more time to play with other children and parents which increases a child’s ability to socialize in the world.